Protocol Engineer

Job Title: Protocol Engineer
Location: Midtown New York City — In-person Mon–Thu, optional remote Friday
Employment Type: Full-time
Seniority Level: Senior
Compensation: $120,000 – $300,000 + equity

Job Summary

We are seeking a Protocol Engineer to join a core blockchain engineering team building next-generation Web3 payments infrastructure. This role sits at the intersection of smart contracts, cross-chain systems, and DeFi, focused on designing secure, scalable, and efficient onchain protocols that enable high-volume transactions across multiple networks.

You will take ownership of protocol design and implementation, working closely with backend and product teams to deliver production-grade blockchain systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy secure smart contracts and protocol components across multiple blockchain networks
• Architect blockchain-based payment and settlement systems in collaboration with backend and product teams
• Write highly efficient, well-tested, and production-ready smart contract code
• Research and evaluate emerging blockchain technologies, L1/L2 networks, and protocol designs
• Contribute to cross-chain communication and interoperability solutions
• Support incident response, debugging, and resolution of onchain production issues
• Ensure protocols meet high standards of security, scalability, and performance

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience building and deploying production smart contracts (Ethereum and/or L2 ecosystems)
• Strong proficiency in Solidity (primary), with Rust or Move as a plus
• Deep understanding of DeFi protocols, token standards (ERC-20/721/1155), and blockchain architecture
• Experience with cross-chain communication patterns and interoperability solutions
• Strong security mindset with awareness of smart contract vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies
• Experience working in production blockchain environments

Nice to Have

• Experience with high-scale DeFi or payment protocols
• Exposure to protocol-level engineering or infrastructure design
• Experience working in fast-paced Web3 or startup environments
• Contributions to open-source blockchain projects

What We Offer

• High-impact role shaping foundational Web3 payment infrastructure
• Competitive compensation with equity upside
• Opportunity to work on complex multi-chain systems at scale
• Close collaboration with experienced blockchain and product teams